Sistertale
by TarableTerroarHQ
Summary: Reset after reset, Frisk had gone through the underground again and again. But- what if there was a reason? They had a need to SAVE everyone they cared for, and time and time again one of the most important was hidden away. But this last reset... something is different. They weren't alone in their fall into the Underground. (Rated T for some cursing and certain situations)
1. Fallen

**Heyo guys, this is Tara of TarableTerroarHQ and w** ** _oohoo_** **! First Fanfiction on this site, and it's of my year old favorite game! Pretty sure it's safe to say that all of the characters besides the big sib Merle belong to Toby Fox and Undertale. So before I get to rambley about how much the game rocks and how I'm wanted to avoid any possible grammatical errors in the chapter let's get this show on the road and say hello to the Underground!**

 **Reminder that there is a bit of cussing in this, someone needs to start a swear jar (1GP for every bad word)**

* * *

 **Reset # (?)**

Reset # (?)

"Big sis, big sis wake up!"

Letting out a low moan of pain, trying to desperately force the head spinning nausea to the side as she pushed up on her arms. "Oh… crap… What the- Frisk? What-?"

Rubbing at the pulsing throb on her forehead, she cracked open an eye to glance at her sibling. There was a large, bright contrast of yellow that flooded her vision and made her wince and rub at her eyes.

"Shit. Are you okay?"

"You said a bad word." Frisk murmured, making a sour face as they crossed their arms. She grimaced, rubbing at the spot on her forehead again as she shot them a look.

"Frisk."

The child jumped at her tone, before giving a reluctant nod. "'M okay."

Nodding her head slowly, she turned to sit up properly and take a minute to look around them. Bright yellow golden flowers decorated the ground underneath them and sat dimly illuminated by the faint light above the two. Glancing over to their younger sibling, she drew in a sharp breath as she noticed the smudge of brownish red crusting on Frisk's cheek. Muttering a muffled curse under her breath she twisted her spine around a bit too fast to make her grit her teeth. Thankfully, her sparsely filled backpack was still on her shoulders and she slung it off to root around in it.

Finding a slightly crushed, orange plastic container with a white plus sign she practically threw it open and ripped off a band-aid from it's conjoined packaging and wiped of the drying blood with the palm of her hand. Frisk squirmed and made another face as the smiley face band-aid was slapped on their cheek.

"There... looks a bit better." She let out a breath, now sitting on her knees as she rested her hands on them. "Da-ng it, this is- where are we?"

Frisk, for their part, silently trotted after her as she got up to examine the area they fell into. This place... it looked old. Really, really old. From the stonework of the walls to the dangerous looking stalactites hanging above. Rubbing her neck, her gaze slipped back to the bed of yellow flowers they landed on. Some of them looked crushed from the landing, however the flower bed didn't seem entirely... fall breaking?

A sudden sharp poke to her side nearly made her jump out of her skin. With a very sharp turn of her head, she stared at Frisk giggling madly with a stick in their hands. "Frisk, where did you find that?"

"On the ground." They replied lazily, starting to rock back on their heels. She felt her eye twitch, and she opened her mouth to say something when her younger sibling had stopped. Their hidden gaze turned to the side toward the unexplored hall.

"Frisk- what are you- Frisk! Where the hell-eck are you going?!" She yelled as Frisk took off down the hall. "FRISK!"

Taking off after her younger sister down the corridor. She got a quick glance over at the same aged stone walls up until she skidded to a halt. A towering, carved arch sat chiseled into the wall. There was something... hesitant about walking through here. Like there was something bad about something past it. But she pressed on regardless, because of Frisk. Her younger sibling had gone through there.

Hang on squirt. She gritted her teeth, jogging through the arch with a determined expression. "Squirt!"

Frisk hadn't gotten far, but neither were they alone now. She slowed to a stop behind them to stare down in disbelief at what she was seeing. A smiling, yellow flower that swayed just slightly from side to side. An all to cheerful grin on it's face... did flower's even have expressions?

"Wowie, another human fell underground!" The flower flopped to one side, giving a wink and a stuck out tongue. "Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"

"H-hi..." She blinked, slowly grabbing Frisk's hand to pull them back to her side.

"Hmmm... You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?" Flowey's smile widened as it's (his?) stem went straight up once more. "Golly, you must be so confused. Something ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do~. Ready? Here we go!"

"Wha-" She didn't finish, as a tense tugging sensation pulled at her chest. The edges of her vision went dark for a split moment as a dull green heart was yanked from her body. She stared at it with an odd look of fascination and slight panic as she cupped the area the shape was pulled from, as if to see if the skin of her chest was torn open from it.

Flowey grinned once again. "See that heart? That is your soul, the very culmination of your being! Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV."

"LV...?" She grimaced, gripping on tighter to Frisk's hand. "Is that an acronym or something? What's it stand for?"

"What's LV stand for? Why, love, of course!" Flowey tilted forward, cheerful expression turning sharper. "You want some love, don't you? Don't worry, I'll share some with you!"

As the plant winked, she could have sworn she saw a sparkle shoot from his face. She wasn't exactly sure if this flower had the best intentions. Glancing down at Frisk, she could see the bright red heart floating in front of their chest. Far brighter than hers... but she gently squeezed Frisk's hand when they glanced up at her before looking back to Flowey as white pellets began to form in the air around him. "Down here, love is shared through... little white... "friendliness pellets"

Oh okay, yep. This wasn't happening. She went to move back, pull Frisk away from this, but her feet seemed to be glued to the ground. She couldn't move... shit. This was bad. Really bad. "Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

"Nope." She ground out, feeling a vein pop in her forehead trying to force her legs to move when Frisk tugged her out of the 'pellets' way. Glancing down, she saw Frisk stare up at her with a concerned look. They both turned back to look at the living flower, whose expression had dropped considerable.

Still wearing a smile, the expression in Flowey's bead-like eyes was not happy. "Hey buddy, you missed them. Let's try again, okay?"

Another round of pellets, another round of Frisk pulling her out of the way. If the situation was something different... she would have felt incredibly humiliated at the fact that her younger sibling was actually helping her. But right now, she didn't exactly care about that... Again, Flowey's face had dropped, this time forgetting the smile for a scowl as the flower made a frustrated sound.

"Is this a joke? Are you two brain dead? Run. INTO. THE. BULLE- friendliness pellets." Her hand clamped down tighter on Frisk's as they steered her away from the shower of bullets. Mother humper, the flower was evil after all. Seeing as how his third attack had failed as well, she felt her pulse jump into her throat as Flowey's face morphed into a creepy visage and two beady white dots formed in his eyes. His voice snapped in a shrill echo. "You know what's going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer."

"Shit!" She cursed as a circle of bullets formed around them. Frisk gasped, letting go of their hand to cling to the back of her jacket.

"DIE." Flowey cackled as the ring grew in closer. She cursed again as she finally managed to turn on her heel, and covered Frisk with her body as a shield. Frisk clung to her jacket like it was a life line all while she kept them in her arms. Closer... closer…

Then it stopped. There was a sudden dissolving sound, as if the bullets were burnt away. Causing both siblings to look up, they watched Flowey's face drop and into one of confusion as a fireball came off from the side, knocking the weed away. Frisk let out a soft gasp as she hoisted them up in her arms. Both of them watching the figure of white and light purple step into view. Her grip on her sibling tightened as this new person spoke.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." This... goat lady(?) turned away from the direction Flowey had disappeared, offering them a soft... motherly smile. "Ah, do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

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 **Aaaaaand that wraps up chapter one! *mechanical audience clapping* Next chapter should be posted with about a week. But let's get to the** ** _after_** **show! I figured that after this chapter, Sistertale's characters would be a bit willing to answer a few questions any of you might have. Nothing to spoilerish, though... it's in the contract.**

 **Merle: Says you.**

 **Shush. But anyways, you guys would be allowed to ask any characters (or me if you really want)currently involved with the story. And we'll do our best to answer them all at the end of the following chapters.**

 **Happy reading in the chapters to come, and thanks for stopping by!**


	2. Diversions and Doorkeys

**We're back again, this time with a two parter. Enjoy**

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"Uh," she blinked up at the goat... monster as she stood back up, holding Frisk close in her arms. "Hi. I'm Merle, and this is my younger sibling Frisk."

Toriel smiled softly, and it made her hold on her sibling tighten. "I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first humans to fall down in a long time... Come! I will guide you through the catacombs. This way."

They watched as she walked away, disappearing through another archway not far off. Merle held a unsure look on her face... feeling incredibly dubious towards this new character. Flowey acted all nice at first... what was stopping Toriel from doing the same?

"I like her." Frisk hummed, an arm looped around the back of Merle's neck. Glancing at them, she raised an eyebrow. Frisk... wasn't usually this trusting. But then again... they seemed to be getting pretty chummy with the talking weed that tried to kill them a little while ago.

Frisk's face suddenly contorted to a pained expression and causing Merle to blink. Did she say that out loud? She didn't think so... Letting out a soft sigh, she readjusted her grasp on Frisk. Opting to settle her younger sibling on top of her shoulders with their butt settled on the top of her backpack. Tilting her head back with slight smirk as Frisk had practically latched onto her beanie. "Just don't pull it off, squirt."

"M'kay." Frisk chirped, patting Merle's head with a slight hum as she moved forward. Moving through the arch, the stark darkness of the previous room gave way to a rather pleasant shade of violet and warm hues of red. Smooth floors paired with the brick walls decorated with bright ivy. Toriel waited for them patiently, a smile on her face as Merle's head swiveled around as she took in their new atmosphere. Compared to their entrance, these... ruins actually looked rather charming. Frisk's hand rapped against her temple lightly, making her glance back to her sibling as they pointed forward. Right... right, moving on then. Toriel had moved ahead towards dual staircases at the very end of the hall. Frisk fidgeted on her shoulders and Merle walked. At a sudden point when she reached the stairs a sudden sharp tug on her back pulled her backwards with a yelp. Falling painlessly onto her rear, she sent a sharp look back at Frisk.

Her younger sibling was paying no attention to her, pawing at something hidden to her in the large crimson leaf pile. After a couple seconds, Frisk trotted back to her and climbed back onto her shoulders. Patting her beanie, they urged her to stand up again. Letting out an irritated sigh, Merle slowly got up off the ground to avoid dropping Frisk.

"What's gotten into you...?" She glanced up at Frisk, then to the leaf pile when her sibling avoided her questioning stare. Nothing stood out among the bright leaves, maybe Frisk had picked something up? Giving a slight shake of her head Merle pressed on. Slowly making her way up the stairs where a concerned looking Toriel stood.

"Oh my- are you alright?" The goat monster asked, and Merle bit the inside of her cheek. Avoiding Toriel's gaze she nodded mutely. She was being wary of her... better to be careful than anything. Toriel nodded quietly before walking through the open doorway ahead. Merle did not see the worried look she was given.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent ones." Toriel hummed cheerfully, and Merle just bristled under Frisk. They were supposed to stay here, then? Without their say in the matter? "Allow me to educate you two in the operation of the ruins."

Merle watched Toriel step on a sequence of stone plates before flipping a level on the far wall. Frisk patted her cheeks, snapping her from the subconscious glare she held. Glancing at her younger sibling, she followed their pointed finger back to Toriel as the giant door slide open. "The ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

"Okay!" Frisk chirped again, hand resting on top of Merle's head once again as she nodded. Glancing at the plates on the ground, watching as they remained sunken into the ground. She raised a quizzical eyebrow.

I consider myself well adjusted. She thought snarkily, before following after Toriel through the now open doorway.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches." She remarked, as they stepped into another hallway. What was with this place? Watching Merle's face twist into one of confusion, Toriel hastily added. "Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip."

"That's not-" Merle started to say, before puffing her cheeks out as Toriel walked away over a small bridge. "-what I was curious about... dammit."

"Bad word." Frisk chided, tugging lightly on Merle's unmarked earlobe.

She winced, swatting lightly at Frisk's small hand with a frown. "Oi, that's not polite."

Frisk hummed quietly, withdrawing that hand to rest it back on top of Merle's head. Letting out a soft sigh, she continued along the path after their current guide, until Toriel had stopped in front of another bridge. Glancing off to the side, Merle immediately noticed the switch, with multiple arrows pointing towards it along with the line of curved text beside it.

Please press this switch. -Toriel

A muffled snicker was pressed into her hand as Merle cleared her throat to cover up the sound. Walking over to do as the instructions asked, she tilted her head back to look at Frisk. "At least the directions are on point."

There were two similar reactions from to different people. Frisk giggled, pressing their face into her beanie while Merle heard Toriel cackled quietly into her paw/hand. The reaction definitely made her grin, despite her earlier misgiving above the goat woman... maybe she wasn't that bad?

Keeping that grin on her face, Merle followed after Toriel again. The same pattern followed, this time there was to switches. Of course... the left switch was as heavily labeled. She didn't read it this time, and just pressed the switch. The ground rumbled as the obstacle that stood behind Toriel fell into the ground, and she clapped her hands together with a smile.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little ones." Merle smiled faintly as her words, scratching lightly at her cheek. She wasn't exactly a 'little' person. Neither in age or height... "Let's move to the next room."

"Right." She said, pausing as Toriel vanished past the wall to stare at the space in confusion. Why was she trusting her so much? It wasn't like that joke from earlier should have changed much... right? Gulping an uneven breath before shaking her head briskly, Merle broke into a slow jog to catch up.

Toriel had stopped near the end of the short hall, the room turning into more ovalish in shape. The light tiles they stood on taking a sharp left turn up into another room. There was... a stuffed dummy standing not to far off. Causing Merle to raise an eyebrow as she lifted Frisk off her shoulders and set them on their feet. "As humans living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple."

The murderous flower was probably a good clue to this. She thought, nodding along silently as she rubbed her sore neck. Toriel continued, "When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict."

"Wait- what?" Merle blinked, unsure of what she just heard. Toriel just smiled, waving her hand towards the sitting Dummy.

"Practice talking to the dummy."

With that said, Toriel moved to block the entrance to the next area while leaving Merle completely dumbfounded. She... wanted them to talk to an inanimate object? There was a slight tug at her chest, simpler to what had happened before with Flowey. As the dulled heart emerged, she snapped her gaze towards Frisk, she balked as her younger sibling stood in front of the dummy.

"Frisk-!"

"Did you have a really good dinner," her sibling swayed happily on the balls of their feet, before making to finger pistols with their hands. They were probably winking too... "Because you looked stuffed!"

"..." The dummy didn't say anything, and Merle watched with a baffled expression twisted into a silly grin as a snicker racked through her. Toriel chuckled into her hands, looking pretty happy.

"Ah, very good!" Toriel seemed to wipe a stray tear from her eye, still chuckling. "You are very good."

Merle smiled, hands resting on her hips as her soul returned to her body once more. There was the possibility that she would never get over that. As Toriel disappeared into the next room and Merle started to follow her, she glanced back at Frisk to see her younger sibling staring at the ground. Wringing the thin branch they found in their hands tightly enough to hear the slight creaking in the bark.

Turning back to them, she crouched down in front of Frisk with a slight frown. They looked... sad-no... distraught over something. "Hey... you okay?"

Frisk didn't say anything, they just gripped tighter onto the small branch even harder. Merle pursed her lips before gently grabbing Frisk's shoulders. "Frisk."

"Ah!" Suddenly, they had snapped out of it. Their head turning back up to look at her, giving Merle the chance to see the pair of brown eyes that Frisk usually hide away. Their face twisted into a remorseful one as they glanced down again. "...Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Frisk." She murmured quietly, one of her hands moving to ruffle her sibling's hair. "You feeling alright? You're looking a bit frazzled."

"Just... tired." They hummed, noncommittally to what they were saying as they wrapped their arms around her neck. Merle let out a soft 'oomph!' as Frisk had wrapped their tiny legs around her torso, putting their entire weight on her now. Adjusting her arms to hold them properly as Frisk buried their face in her shirt. Merle's lips pursed into a thin line yet again... this was yet another indicator that Frisk was acting strange.

"There is another puzzle in this room..." Toriel's voice tapered off when she caught sight of them again, her eyes widening with concern. Merle waved it off, putting on a smile that seemed way to forced than natural. Just play it cool... answer questions later. "I wonder if you can solve it?"

Merle nodded slowly, rubbing Frisk's back as she followed Toriel down the hall. Glancing down every now and then at the odd twisting path on the ground. Her younger sibling would occasionally let out a sniffle and shift in her arms, but otherwise remained unresponsive.

Toriel turned down an odd twist as the hall narrowed down, Merle close behind her when something caught her attention with the tug on her chest.

"Ribbit"

She glanced down, staring at the odd frog creature with a raised eyebrow. It stared up at her the a dull stare that was slightly unnerving. Pursing her lips, she glancing up to see Toriel not too far ahead.

Strike up a friendly conversation.

"God, I'm really doing this..." She sighed, pulling on a smile as she looked down at the monster. "You look... rather hopping today!"

Even she had to inwardly cringe at that pun, still wearing the stressed smile as she waited in anticipation to see how bad she screwed up. The frog... thing, tilted its head to the side in confusion for split second before a cherry hue spread across it's face. It croaked for a moment as a tall shadow stretched over it.

Merle wasn't short... but she was definitely shorter than Toriel. She glared down at the poor frog-thing in front of them, and Merle felt a twinge of pity as the monster slunk away. Her soul returned, and she gave Toriel a sheepish look. The goat monster's glare withered away into a soft expression a she turned to continue forward. Merle gulped down a breath as she followed suit, taking a brief glance at the placard on the wall.

The western room is the eastern room's blueprint.

Say what? Blinking, she read the sign over again. Double checking to see if she read that correctly. Yep, she did. Question was... what western room?

"'M sorry..." Frisk murmured into her shirt, giving another sniffle as Merle paused to rub her sibling's back.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, kiddo. I promise." She hummed, watching Frisk peak a glance at her briefly and she gave them a kind smile. "Come on... smile!"

Frisk squealed into her shirt as she prodded their side with her fingers. "Big Sis!"

Smiling, Merle continued forward after Toriel. Stopping behind the goat monster, she glanced past her and left her stomach drop. A platform of spikes that spanned out towards the end of the hall.

"This is the puzzle, but..." Toriel looked uncertain, before turning back to Merle and Frisk. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

Merle blinked, a moral choice flashing before her eyes and it was gone in less than a moment. Nodding slowly she moved Frisk around to sit back on her shoulders before taking Toriel's offered hand. It was soft and warm, and had completely dwarfed hers in comparison. It... made her feel like a literal child again, which made her purse her lips into a thin line.

It felt familiar... and she didn't like it.

Toriel offered her a comforting smile, before leading her down the the dangerous path...

Expect it wasn't really dangerous. The spikes fell into the ground as Toriel started to walk over them and just for shits and giggles, she reached over to see if the spikes were even sharp.

It wasn't, the tips were chipped down to harmless flat tips. Merle rolled her eye and looked back up at Frisk as her sibling pet the top of her head. And finally when they were on the other side, Toriel let out of Merle's hand with a slight sigh of relief. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

"Probably, thought I have to say. It's just like writing with a pencil." When Toriel glanced at her in confusion, Merle grinned as she winked at Frisk. "It's pointless."

Frisk let out a wail of laughter, smacking the side of Merle's head. "Nooo! That joke is bad!"

"Ah come on, Frisk! If you keep acting like this you'll end up in a soda factory. I hope not because it's soda pressing."

Frisk screamed, nearly falling off Merle's back had she not been holding onto their legs. "Banned! That joke is banned!"

"Haha..." Toriel snorted into her hand, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "The child is right... that pun was truly baaaad."

Merle damn near howled with laughter from Toriel's bleating as Frisk let out a huge groan, flopping most of their weight into her head as their sister snickered alongside Toriel.

"Okay, okay. That one was good." She let her humorous laugh die down into a slight snicker. "Let's move forward then?"

"You've done excellently thus far, my children." Toriel hummed lightly as they proceeded forward. This next room turning out to be an impossibly long hallway. Jeez... what was with this place and hallways? Nodding along, Merle glanced over to see the goat monster wearing a forlorn expression. "However... I have a difficult request to ask of you."

"What is it?" Merle frowned, not liking where this was going. Was something wrong?

Toriel's shattered expression worsened. "... I would like the two of you to walk to the end of the room by yourselves. Forgive me for this."

Merle had formed less than a syllable when Toriel had broken into a fast run down the hall, far more quickly than Merle thought, only to duck down behind a single pillar near the end of the hall. Frisk hummed slightly, peaking up from from their boneless drape over Merle's hair. Merle glanced up at them with curiosity before glancing back towards the end of the hall, a lopsided smirk forming on her lips as she saw Toriel's head peek out towards them. Picking Frisk off her shoulders, rolling them as she set them back on the ground.

"Time to give my shoulders a break, squirt." She hummed, rubbing her trapezius with one hand. The other Frisk had taken hold off as her young sibling was pulling her towards the end of the hall. "You know what... how about you lead the way? I'm sure that you'll protect me."

Frisk gave a silly smile as she winked, and Merle allowed herself to be pulled forward. She wasn't going to lie... it felt like the hall went on forever. And eventually she was pulled into a brisk jogging pace as Frisk seemed so freaking determined to get to the end. Had... Frisk changed at some point during the time they were separated? Merle felt her brow furrow together with that question and she made a slight face before letting it fall back to a more neutral state as they had finally reached the end of the hall and Frisk skidded to a halt.

Toriel made her way behind the pillar, wearing proud smile. Frisk had immediately pulled from Merle's grasp and tackled the bottom of Toriel's robe in a hug. Who gave them a loving smile as she had to crane her body down to pat their back. The picture... made Merle's heart clench painfully. "Greetings, my children. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time."

Her gaze turned up towards Merle and she scratched at her cheek nervously. "Thank you for trusting me."

"No problem..." She murmured softly. And Toriel gently pried Frisk from her legs so she could address both of them.

"However, there was an important reason for this exercise." She stated seriously, causing Merle to raise an eyebrow. "... to test your independence."

Guess I failed, huh? Merle mused inwardly, crossing her arms loosely of her chest as Toriel continued. "I must attend to some business, and you two must stay here for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourselves. I have an idea! I will give you a cell phone."

"Wha?" Merle blinked, dumbfounded as Toriel stepped forward and deposited what looked like an ancient Motorola DynaTAC brick. The thing had to weigh a solid two pounds, and it looked definitely beyond it's years for use. Putting on a smile, Merle glanced up at Toriel with a sheepish look. "Uh... thanks?"

"If you have a need for anything, just call." The goat monster smiled, as a warm hand brushed down some of her unruly brown hair. Merle puffed out her cheeks childishly as her face flushed pink. "Be good, alright?"

As Toriel started to walk away and as Merle was figuring out where to put the 80's phone. Frisk called out with a wide wave of their arm. "Bye Mom!"

Both of them had stopped in what they were doing, Toriel mid-step and Merle halfway through stuffing the cellphone into a side pocket in her backpack. Toriel's face went from shock to a look of absolute adoration, and Merle felt her stomach roll uncomfortably.

"Did you just call me... 'Mom'?" She sounded so elated. "Well... I suppose... Would that make you happy? To call me... 'Mother'?"

"Mhmm!" Frisk nodded over enthusiastically, and Merle cast her gaze down to her bag. A shadow had crossed over her face as she wordlessly slung the bag over her shoulder once more.

"Well then, call me what whatever you like!" She smiled brightly, waving to Frisk before before disappearing into the next room. Frisk waved over enthusiastically after her as Merle felt her mouth curl. It... felt wrong... but she didn't say anything about it. She couldn't bring herself to...

Frisk skipped back over to her side, smiling happily now that they were out of their little mood funk from awhile ago. Unfortunately... it seemed to be contagious as now Merle seemed to be a little irked.

Fortunately however Frisk was not willing to let her wallow in that dark pit of unhappiness as they tugged on her hand again. Towards the direction Toriel left them in.

"What? You want to keep going?" She asked, getting a nod in return. A smirk toyed at her lips as she crouched down, her voice in a low whisper. "You know Toriel wanted us to stay right? You sure you still want to go?"

Frisk nodded again, this time much more anxious. Merle smirked, standing up and offering her sibling her hand. "Well, then. Let's get on the move."

* * *

 **Thus concludes part one of the sibling's adventure through the Ruins. And so far Merle is already in debt with a aboooout... four or five GP towards the swear jar. Part two will be uploaded at some point during this next week. The joys of winter break coming to an end -u-.**


	3. Of Phone Calls and Ghost Fights

**Sorry for the slight delay! But here's part two of the siblings Ruin adventure, where shenanigans and compliments are plentiful and Merle gets incredibly 'jumpy' hehe. Sit back and Enjoy!**

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Merle wasn't going to lie, when the cell phone started ringing as soon as they got out of that room she did yelp. Not loudly, but it was still kind of... embarrassing to scramble to grab the brick from her backpack's side pocket. Frisk had let out a soft snicker watching their sister fumble for the cell phone which didn't really help the matter as Merle shot them a dirty look as she answered.

"Hello?"

-Hello?- Toriel's voice warbled over the receiver. Well holy shit... you could actually have phone calls under a mountain? Color her surprised. -This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?-

"Uh..." Merle glances back at the previous room. There wasn't exactly a door in between... so one could make the argument that they could still be in the same room? "No?"

-There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them by yourselves. Be good, alright?-

"Yes Ma'am." Merle hummed lightly, listening as the call disconnected before returning the phone to it's previous spot. Frisk giggled again and as the mature adult Merle was she stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at her younger sibling.

Very mature, as she was.

"Come on, pint sized." She huffed, wearing a smile. "Let's move on, shall- we. Frisk what are you doing?"

Frisk as crouched down in front of a familiar looking monster. Pretty much identical to the one they encountered with Toriel. Merle frowned slightly as Frisk cocked their head to the side, listening to the frog monster's quiet ribbets with their attention. Merle didn't exactly understand what it was trying to say, only watching with growing confusion as her sibling nodded along before giving the monster a small pat on the top of it's head. The poor thing's face lit up like a Christmas tree before it shrunk down into it's body.

Frisk grinned, glancing back at Merle as she crossed her arms. "Froggit."

"Uh huh..." She hummed awkwardly, kicking at the ground with her foot. Frisk... was acting downright strange. Even for them this was odd. But she didn't say anything, Merle didn't know if she was looking at this the right way. But something definitely felt off about this.

Noticing her seemingly aloof behavior, Frisk made a slight face as they took her hand gently and pulled her along into a much smaller room. The faint sound of gurgling water and the smell of greenery filled her nose. In that quaint little alcove stood a marble pedestal with a wide bowl of brightly colored candy, with plain text carved into the bowl.

Take one.

Frisk, using their 'superior' parkour skills... okay, they tried to climb on the side of the pedestal to get to the just slightly higher bowl. With a roll of her eyes, Merle picked her younger sibling up from their armpits and raised them up to the bowl. Frisk kicked their feet a bit, making a whine as their were picked up.

"Oi, squirt!" Merle frowned as Frisk just spazzed out even more. "What's the big deal? You used to like getting picked up!"

"Down! Down!" They shrieked, causing Merle to tense before setting them back onto the ground. Once their feet touched the ground Frisk kicked hastily at the ground before plopping down onto their rear with a huff.

Pursing her lips, Merle glanced down at the bowl then back to them. They... they didn't have a problem with being lifted up before. She felt like her head wanted to explode as she let out a heavy sigh and snagged two pieces of the bright candy. One for her, and one for Frisk... if they would get up. "Hey... I got you a piece of candy- and they're gone."

In her grabbing the two pieces of candy, Frisk had disappeared once again. Repressing the irritation and the heavy sigh that was sure to follow Merle stuffed the two new items into her pocket before trudging back into the previous room.

"Frisk! Stop running off!" She snapped, scanning the space for her sibling to find them tossing up a armfuls of leaves nearby. They had jumped at her voice, hidden eyes spinning to look at her with a look of shock. The... Froggit (that what Frisk said right?) eyed her as she stomped over towards Frisk with a frown. "Seriously, I don't want to lose you again. You've got to stop doing this. You could get hurt!"

They looked down, and Merle felt her shoulders tense up as a pang of guilt took a stab at her heart. Running a hand over her face, she let out a soft breath of air before she tried speaking again.

"Look... I just- I don't want to see you get hurt. Okay? The best way I can think of right now for that issue is for you to stay with me right now." She crouched down about half a foot away from Frisk, arms resting on her knees. "We're in an unknown place, where the creatures I thought only existed in children's books live. I just want you to stay safe."

Frisk lightly twirled a crimson leaf in their hands, giving a hesitant nod. Merle exhaled and pulled on a tight smile as she ruffled her bangs. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

"..." They glanced off to the side, just past their shoulder before looking back at Merle. "Yeah."

Nodding silently, Merle stood back up and took hold of Frisk's hand just for the sake of insurance as they both continued forward. She glanced around when Frisk didn't have their attention on her, and frowned. Other than the two of them and the Froggit... no one was there. Right?

Though as they walked past one of the other beds of leaves, Merle jumped as her soul burst of her chest as a faint whimper settled in her ears. A tiny, pale looking monster with pixie wings fluttered around in the air. Seemingly disturbed from it's place in the leaf bed. The thing looked so dejected, fluttering close to them meekly.

"Wh-"

Halfway through the first word, the tiny monster erupts into tears before skittering away. Merle watches it go as her soul returns back to her chest and a heavy blanket of confusion settles over her. "-y are you looking so blue? That was... depressing."

"Whimsun." Frisk chirps knowingly as Merle glances down at them. The blanket of confusion fades as a perplexed smile curls on Merle's lips.

"You've got a name for everything here, don't you?" She mused, letting go of Frisk's hand to scratch at her neck. "Right... well then, let's keep going I guess."

They nod back, running off ahead into the next room. Merle glances back at the leaf pile the Whimsun came from. She remembered stories about monsters... they were more like fables now but still, they hardly seemed as dangerous as the people who wrote those stories believed. Her only issue was a fucking flower. A shrill scream caught her off guard, and Merle barreled into the next room in a panic.

What she saw was a child sized hole in a cracked strip of ground that spanned the width of the narrow room. Shit, shit! What did she fucking say! That this place was dangerous! "FRISK!"

"Weeeeee!" An echoed voice came through a vent like opening in the wall on the other side. Merle tensed as she watched her younger sibling tumble out with a giggle, rolling onto the ground a little while before flopping to a stop. Frisk curled up on their side, still giggling with a wide grin. Merle, however, was not pleased.

"I swear to fucking god, you are going to be the death of me." She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose before turning her attention back to the cracks in the floor. Toriel went this way... how did she get past this? Well... she guessed just by judging the length of the cracks she could just jump over it. It was worth a shot... and it couldn't really hurt. "Look out!"

Frisk perked up, rolling onto their stomach to watch Merle take a running start towards the jump before leaping over it. Tucking in on herself to roll across the ground, she finally came to a stop when she flopped onto her back. She sat there for a minute, staring blindly up at the ceiling as her chest pounded from the temporary flood of adrenaline. Only to snap out of it as Frisk crawled partially onto her chest to stare at her with a smile. Letting out a soft snicker, Merle grinned back.

"Yeah... yeah, okay. I guess it was kind of fun." Her grin widened as Frisk pumped their arms into the air before they rolled off her chest as she sat up. Brushing off her legs as she climbed back up to her feet, she looked down at her sibling before pointing dramatically forward. "Onwards!"

"Onwards!" They mimicked, pose and everything before taking her hand again.

Another encounter ensued with a Froggit as they started to leave, but Merle managed to talk them down with a nice complement. Frisk snickered as she gave the blushing frog monster two finger guns and a playful wink before continuing on their way.

Ring…

Merle and Frisk paused as they entered the next room, and Merle grabbed the cellphone from her backpack to answer it.

"Hello?"

-Hello? This is Toriel- Ah, of course it was. -For no reason in particular... Which do you and Frisk prefer? Cinnamon or Butterscotch?-

Merle opened her mouth to answer but Toriel beat her to the punch. "... wait. Do not tell me. Is it Butterscotch?-

"Well, Frisk likes butterscotch. I'm more for cinnamon myself." She hummed, blinking slowly as she spoke. Did she just say that? Toriel lets out a static giggle from the other end of the line.

-Hee hee hee. I had a feeling. When humans fall down here, strangely...- Her voice grows slightly puzzled. -I... I often feel like I already know them. Truthfully, when I first saw Frisk, I felt... like I was seeing an old friend for the first time.-

Merle glances over at Frisk, who is looking up at the phone in her hand. "Huh."

-Strange, is it not?-

"Yeah... really strange." She murmured, causing Frisk to look away. She frowned at Frisk in confusion as Toriel continued to speak.

-Well, thank you for selections.- Toriel replied happily, and the call disconnected with a click. Merle started to up the brick away again when it rang again. Pursing her lips together,she answered it again.

-Hello? This is Toriel.- Kinda figured... -You do not dislike butterscotch, do you? I know what your preference is, but... Would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?-

"Uh... no?" Merle replied, rubbing her forehead in slight confusion. Toriel could have just asked that question when she called the first time…

-Right, right, I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way.- Merle blinked as the line disconnected again. This time putting the phone back in it's side pocket before shooting Frisk a look. They were pushing a rock onto a plate in the ground, giving a loud sound of frustration as they tried to dig their boots into the ground.

What are they trying to hide. She frowned, before finally stepping in and helping Frisk push the rock the rest of the way. Frisk smiled at her as the wall of spikes dropped into the ground. Merle didn't exactly return it with force, giving a light sigh and letting her shoulders sag. This was definitely going to be a long journey back home, wasn't it?

She let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as the two continued forward, turning down to face a sea of cracked floor tiles. "Right... this looks safe."

Frisk gently tugged on her hand, causing Merle to let out a sigh of dismay before following her sibling as they tiptoed onto the first tile. Closing her eyes shut in anticipation of being dropped, Merle tensed up as her foot rested evenly on the tile as it refused to give way. Cracking open her eye, she glanced down at the ground to see the tile still intact and not replaced by a hole in the ground. Merle cleared her throat unevenly, giving Frisk a shaky smile when they glanced back at her. "'m fine, let's keep going. Right?"

They nod slowly, before continuing their chosen path across the floor. It seemed a bit odd... the direction they chose. Kind of specific in how it went. But they didn't fall through at least once. When they had finally gotten across, Merle glanced down at Frisk as she scratched at her neck. "You're really good at this, squirt. You catching something I can't see?"

The panicked look her sibling had on their face as it scrunched up was hastily covered up with a hesitant nod. Merle hummed absently as she narrowed her eyes. There was no way that Frisk was able to see something about this that she couldn't... their eyesight wasn't the best. In fact... if she had the money for it, Merle probably would have seen about them getting a pair of glasses.

"Let's... just keep moving..." She huffs.

The next room had rocks, more rocks… perfect. Letting out a sharp sigh, Merle stalked up and to the left to start moving stones again. A line of slime blobs got in her way as she moved to the second one, and she frowned at them. Frisk had gladly caught their attention as they started shaking their hips suggestively. Giving her a chance to move the next rock. Both went without much trouble… it was only an issue when Merle tried to move the third on.

"WHOA there, pardner!" She yelped, jumping back away an unflattering scream.

"Jesus!"

"Who said you could push me around?" The rock with the alarmingly stereotypical southern accent. Merle had put a hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her breathing, taking a few nervous gulps of breath before speaking up.

"Uh… could you, eh… move over?"

"Hmm? SO you're asking me to move over?" The rock continued. "Okay, just for you pumpkin."

She made a nervous sound in her throat as the rock slide over on it's own. But it didn't move over all the way… dammit. "Uh… could you… move a bit more?"

"Hmm? You want me to move some more?" Like a child, she nodded numbly. "Alrighty, how's this?"

The rock moved. But in the wrong fucking direction, and Merle's confusion and mind blanking stupor twisted into a seemingly becoming regular twitch of irritation. She could just feel her tanned cheeks and ears turn a bright, cherry red. "That's the wrong direction."

"Hmm? That was the wrong direction? I think I got it."Thankfully, the rock had moved onto the plate and the line of spikes slide down into the ground. Letting out a sigh of relief, Merle grabbed Frisk's hand after they had gotten done thoroughly flirting with slime.

"Thanks!" She called, moving briskly to the now open path. Unfortunately, the spikes shot back up after a few long steps. Snapping her gaze back to the rock, she felt her eye twitch angrily as she stomped back towards the rock. "Could you at least stay there til we got past it?"

"Hmm? You wanted me to stay there?" As much as a rock could give, the piece of sentient sediment sighed. "You're givin' me a real workout."

She huffed a sigh as the rock moved back to the plate and stayed there. She didn't want to take anymore chances, and had practically dragged Frisk across the line of disengaged spikes and immediately into the next room. Merle was hoping never to deal with a southern sounding rock ever again. Frisk was kind of disappointing at she couldn't get the cheese wedge off the table for the mouse, but she had given it her best shot as her younger sibling quietly cheered her on.

"Okay... okay." She sighed, rubbing her arm through her jacket. "Let's keep going, adventure and all that."

Frisk visibly brightened as they followed her into the next room, which held something that made Merle do a double take.

Well holy shit. She thought, staring down at what was obviously a freaking ghost lying on a bed of red leaves. Repeatedly murmuring a quiet series of 'Z's. No... he was literally repeating the letter 'z' over and over again.

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... are they gone yet? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." Oh god... this was actually kind of endearing? In a slightly sad sort of way. Frisk squeeed loudly, running forward towards the ghost.

It seemed like she was getting used to being pulled into a battle now, the scenery faded and her soul shot forward. Frisk was bouncing excitedly on their heels as the Ghost floated upwards. Oh god... he looked so sad. Merle felt a soft smile pull at her lips. Was it impossible for anything done here to look evil? Whitish tears pooled at the corners of the Ghost's eyes. "Heh..."

Frisk took Merle's hand, as those tears began to fly. She had gotten used to the 'battles' now that in a sense, she and Frisk dodged them to the best of their abilities. Which was mainly Frisk towing her around as Merle tried to not get hit. When the tears had stopped, the ghost looked just a bit better. Merle smiled at him as she spoke up.

"Do you know what the boy ghost said to the girl ghost?" She asked, giving him a smile. "You look boo-tiful!"

"heh heh..." She expected another round of attacks but none came, instead the ghost just spoke in a soft voice. "really not feelin' up to it right now... sorry..."

Oh. My. God. Merle covered her mouth with a smile. This guy was just too precious... and he was looking a lot better than before. "... you are really nice."

The ghost turned a little blue around it's face, causing Merle to throw on a goofy smile. The ghost smiled, looking a little sheepish. "let me try..."

The white tears that dropped from his eyes started to flow upwards, forming into a ghostly white top hat. "i call it... "dapperblook". do you like it...?"

Merle and Frisk exchanged glances, both of them wearing smiles before they both started cheering. "Dapperblook! Dapperblook!"

The blue hue grew on his face as he grew sheepish again. "oh gee..."

Their souls returned as the battle was over. The ghost floated just above the leaf bed, a tiny smile on his opaque white form. "i usually come to the ruins because there's nobody around... but today i met two nice people... ... oh, i'm rambling again. i'll get out of your way..."

Merle covered her mouth as Frisk waved goodbye as the Ghost disappeared. "Bye Napstablook!"

"Napstablook?" She asks, glancing down at her younger sibling. Her voice muffled by her hands. Frisk flushed red for a moment, scratching at their cheek.

"I... guess?"

"No... no, it fits." She hummed, hands dropping back to her sides. "Guess you really do have a name for everything, huh?"

Frisk glances down at the ground, toying with the cuff of their enlarged sweater. "... yeah."

After a short moment of tense silence, Merle took Frisk hand again as the two continued forward. Continuing straight until they stopped in a smaller room where cobwebs lined the walls. A small, ornate sign sitting in the middle of the room.

Spider Bake Sale

All proceeds go to real spiders.

Spider… bake sale? Like… as a mascot or something? But then again… with all the cobwebs and how her day was turning out to be, they were probably real spiders. And while Merle wasn't an arachnophobe… but she had a major problem with black widows and brown recluses. Those things were fucking terrifying. "Let's be careful, okay Frisk?"

"Mhmm." Her sibling mumbled, digging around in their pockets for a few shiny yellow coins. Merle stood by watching with caution as Frisk dropped the handful of coins into a web on the left side of the room. A shifting mass on the ceiling caught her eye, and Merle glanced up at the swarm of tiny black specks that crawled along the ceiling. Her gut dropped with a sick feeling as a couple of tiny spiders lowered down on a web holding a purple glazed donut down for Frisk.

She could hear Frisk thank the arachnids, slowly, but thankful for the treat. Merle watched the spiders rise back up to their cluster, small chatter like whispers rasping against her ears. Excited little chatters that she couldn't really understand. Frisk was still holding onto their donut, bouncing on their toes anxiously as they tried to formulate words. "Can I… save it for later?"

"Sure kiddo, just give me a sec." She hummed, sliding off the backpack from her shoulders to dig into the main section. Digging past the two sets of clothes she and Frisk had packed, before finally grabbing one of the two tupperware containers that had the single packed lunch she made for them. It was empty, but still kind of smelt like ham and swiss. But it was stale now. Holding out the open container to Frisk, Merle clamped the lid back on when the donut was deposited into the box, and put it back in the backpack for Frisk later.

Getting lazy with the back straps, she just slung one over her shoulder lazily. Offering her hand to Frisk, the two joined hands before continuing back through the Ruins. Merle would pause occasionally to let Frisk conversion with a some of the Froggits in the next hallway. She caught sight of another sign nearby, and her throat closed up.

Did you miss it?

Spider Bake Sale down to the right!

Come eat food made up spiders, for spiders, of spiders!

That donut… was made of spiders. She made a strangled sound as she followed Frisk further down the hall. A sudden compulsion to throw away what was in the tupperware container out at the first chance. That was… unsettling to say the least. She didn't exactly get a chance to think more on it as the brick started to ring loudly and she tumbled with her free hand to grab it from it's pouch.

-Hello?- Toriel's voice called over the phone as the two managed to stop. -I just realised that it has been awhile since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them, but do carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that.-

"Yes Ma'am." Merle nodded, a faint smile on her lips. Toriel… was really kind now that she was thinking about it. There was this underlying, familiar feel to her behavior but Merle just denied it and pushed forward. When Toriel disconnected and she started to put the phone away, Frisk looked up at her curiously before putting on a smile.

"Okay… I can start to see why you like her." She admitted.

The next room was another puzzle, hidden under cracked tiles. It was a bit difficult to let Frisk go on and try to solve it, so Merle decided to give it a try too. Probably a bad idea, but hey can say she didn't try? So she slide off her backpack and set it down beside Frisk before cautiously stepping onto the middle bottom tile. If she was lucky, it would be the the past room with these tiles and some them weren't really-

"Fu-ucking shit!" She screamed, falling down into a pile of leaves with a large poof. Flailing a bit at the cushioned impact, she crawled out of the leaf pile to flop onto the ground just outside it.

A ghastly white apparition caught her eye, and Merle glanced over to see a familiar face laying on the ground beside her. "Hi Napstablook."

"Hello…" He replied quietly, sounding a tad bit dismayed. "i feel down a hole… now i can't get up… go on without me… wait, ghosts can fly, can't they…?"

Merle let out a soft laugh, a hand running down her face. "Yeah… I'm pretty sure they can."

"oh well…" He mumbles, fading out of view. Merle coughed a laugh as she picked herself back up off the ground. Brushing off her legs as she looked for an exit. Finding a narrow looking gap in the wall. More like a vent… please say she didn't have to crawl through that. Just don't say it…

"Son on a-" She hissed, letting out a low growl as she went about trying to crawl into the thing.

The whole experience was full of a bunch of cursing, Merle smacking the back of her head on the top of the tiny vent multiple times and at least dozens of odd angles that seemed to stretch on forever until she finally managed to catch a glimpse of light catching the purple stone. Tumbling out head first onto the ground, Merle let out a pained groan as she rolled onto her side. Staring up at the ceiling with a disdainful look as she felt exhausted. Her joints had started to ache and her muscles were less than agreeable with her right now…

"Sis!" Frisk called over as Merle sat up slowly, rubbing at her neck. Her sibling was standing in the opposite door way that was previously blocked off. Backpack straps over their arms. Merle got to her feet even more slowly than before, wincing as she felt her weight settle down on her ankles.

God… she needed to sit down eventually.

"Heyo, squirt." She murmured, shuffling up to her sibling as they skipped over to her. "So… what's up next? More pitfall traps? Button puzzles? The Bridge of Eternal Peril?"

"Huh?"

"Wait, seriously? Have I never watched Monty Python movies with you?" She sighed heavily, ruffling Frisk's hair. "When we get out of here, I try and find a copy at a discount store or something. It's a funny movie."

Her sibling let out a sarcastic huff, grabbing onto Merle's hand to pull her onwards.

"So, anymore puzzles?"

"Nope." Frisk quipped as they stepped into the next room. "Solved it."

"Already?" Merle wondered, giving a low whistle as she glanced around at the seemingly rotating room. A few passive monsters of different appearances watched them pass as they traveled through this seemingly rotating room.

It wasn't until they came to a new room that Merle took a moment to pause, suddenly caught off guard by a tired yawn as she rubbed her eyes with her thumb and point finger. Holy balls… she was really starting to feel tired now. She wasn't exactly sure how long they had been done here, or how long she was out entirely. But if she had to guess… it was pretty late.

So letting Frisk go for a moment, she tiredly followed behind as her sibling ran forward further down to speak to a Froggit. Conversing with the amphibian monster and mostly listening to it's raspy croaks and ribbits while Merle decided to take a quick peek through the doorway to the right.

Shuffling onto what seemed to be a balcony which overlooked a small city of stone buildings. All of which seemed to be made of only the same purple rock the rest of the Ruins was made of, and most of if not completely abandoned. Those beautifully tall buildings stood dark and silent… giving off an eerie feel as Merle leaned on against the balustrade that rimmed the balcony. Besides the few monsters they've encountered plus Toriel, was there really no one here?

But then again… I used to just believe Monsters were a fairy tale. She sighed soundlessly, running a hand over her hair to remove her beanie. It felt greasy and ratty, almost as if she had forgotten that they hadn't exactly had a chance to wash up. Monsters under the Mountain… was that why everyone was so superstitious about going up there? Was this… was this where she disappeared to?"

"No." She breathed out, pulling on her beanie again as she stepped away. It was stupid to think like that… and hopeless. Turning around to head back out, she glanced down at the ground to see a piece of gray sitting on the magenta colored floor. Crouching down, she scooped up a toy looking knife. A with slightly too small to fit in her hand perfectly, with an oddly shaped and rough black handle and a pointed plastic blade. Which must have been painted a silverish color at one point because now chips of dulled gray paint were peeling off the fake blade.

She gave it a look over twice before letting out a soft huff, stuffing the toy in the inside pouch of her backpack, sandwiched between the clothes and the donut container. Pausing in doing so as she picked up an aged red ribbon about as long as her arm. She frowned as she felt a twinge of irritation shoot through her chest after the backpack was back on her shoulders. Rubbing at the spot, she shook her head before jogging back out to catch up to Frisk again before they decided to move again.

She felt tired…

Frisk was waiting almost patiently next to a giant pile of leaves, twirling a couple of the crimson plants between their fingers. Upon hearing her footsteps, they dropped the leaf in their hands before hopping up to join her. Pulling on a smile, Merle ruffled their already messy hair again. "Ready to keep going, squirt?"

"Mhm!"

Once more, they joined hands and walked down the only available path left. The hallway opening up to a quaint little clearing area with a tall tree with dark bark sitting in the center with what Merle could only guess was a circle of red leaves around it on the ground. As they stepped inside, both of the siblings perked up at the sound of Toriel's voice.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." There was the soft sound of footsteps as they saw the familiar monster circle halfway around the tree, dialing a number on an equally blocky cellphone. The brick sitting in Merle's bag rung loudly causing Toriel to jump at the surprise. Putting the phone away, Toriel had walked in a brisk pace to meet Merle and Frisk. Giving them both a look over for injuries. "How did you get here, my children? Are you hurt? There, there, I will heal you."

Merle watched with an odd curiosity as she watched Toriel crouch down, which was kind of hilarious because she was still taller that Merle with her horns, and inspected a scrap on Frisk's knee as well as the cut on their cheek. Frisk had removed the band-aid at some point much to her dismay. But Merle didn't exactly think about that as she saw the thin cuts seal back together as if they didn't really happen. Not even a single scar… whoa.

Toriel gave her some sort of pleased look as she chuckled softly under her breath before trying to even out Frisk's wild hair. The look in her eyes turned… sad. "I should not have left you two alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this."

"Surprise?" Merle asked cheekily, a smirk on her face. It probably had something to do with the question about cinnamon and butterscotch earlier…

The embarrassed look on Toriel's face made her smirk grow into a grin. "Err… Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small ones!"

As she stood back up and beckoned them to follow, while Toriel went on ahead Merle crossed her arms with a sudden huff. "I'm not that short though… I'm just shy of being five foot four."

"Hehe." Frisk giggled, causing Merle's eyebrow to twitch heavily as she reached down and thoroughly destroyed the effort Toriel made into fixing Frisk's hair. She would apologise later, probably. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry, squirt. You don't have to get so mad that you ran out of money. You were only short changed!"

"I still have money!" They whined, swiping furiously at her hand as Merle only stuck her tongue out. Giving their head another thorough yet loving ruffle, she took off after Toriel. Frisk following close behind.

* * *

 **Quick Update: Fixed the few grammar errors in the first three chapters. Sorry for any hiccups you all had while reading. -u-"**


	4. Home

**Sorry for the late update, school and work got in the way. So I'll probably have to slow down on the updates. Don't worry though guys, Sistertale will still be updated. Just not as usual now. Sorry again.**

* * *

The home built into the opposite wall was quaint, and pleasant looking. Merle could feel a rush of warmth run over her as she opened the door to walk in. Something else caught her nose… was something baking?

"Do you smell that?" Toriel asked in a rhetorical manner, turning to look at her with a warm smile. "Surprise! It is a butterscotch-"

-Merle could feel a rush of warmth run over her as she opened the door to walk in. Something else caught her nose… was something baking? Wait… didn't she already open the door? It was almost like there was a hiccup in her vision, or as if she was pulled back a few seconds to when she opened the door. Was it just her tired brain failing to keep up? Or… something else?

"Do you smell that?" Toriel asked in a rhetorical manner, turning to look at her with a warm smile. "Surprise! It is a butterscotch cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival."

"Thank you, Ms. Toriel." She smiled at the goat monster, earning a soft smile. She was getting a really bad feeling of _deja-vu_ , like she had been here to listen this before. Glancing around for Frisk, she caught them sneaking in behind her through the door. They looked revealed about something. Didn't she just make fun of them?

"I want you two to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."  
Ewwww, snail pie? Like… the little slug things in shells… like Gary? That just made her shudder in her boots. Merle felt her neck turtle down into her jacket as Toriel continued, beckoning Frisk to follow. "Here, I have another surprise for you."

Letting Frisk take the lead following Toriel behind, Merle tagged along a few steps behind. She held a small frown on her lips, brow furrowed in confusion. Why did all of this feel familiar to her?

Her chest hurt.

"This is it." Toriel hummed, gently taking Frisk's hand to lead them towards the closest door. "A room of your very own. I hope you like it!"

Merle rested her hands on her hips, glancing over with a blank stare as Toriel patted Frisk's hair. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she muffled a slight cough into her hand as Toriel caught onto some faint burning smell.

"Is something burning?" She glanced back towards where they came from. "Um, make yourself at home!"

"'Kay." She hummed, watching Toriel run off back towards she could only guess was the kitchen. Waiting for a bit longer before deciding to take a peek inside the room. Frisk had rushed in ahead of her, jumping onto a made bed. There was only one… but Merle could just sleep on the floor if she had to. Slinging off the backpack and kicking off her boots with a huff, she stretched her arms up with a yawn, plopping down onto the bed beside Frisk. "Right… well, I'm beat-"

"Nooooo." They whined, pushing her up and off the bed with a huff. "Smelly! Smelly!"

She wasn't that bad, right? She made a face, taking a brief whiff of her jacket and recoiled almost instantly. Oh _god_ , okay… it was bad. Getting up off the bed, she grabbed her other set of clothes from the bag and gave Frisk and apologetic smile. "Sorry, squirt. I guess it's been awhile since have had a chance to wash up. You think Toriel has a bathroom?"

Frisk hummed in question as Merle closed the door to the room, glancing down the other end of the hall before going back towards the front door. Following her nose, she continued walking until she reached a mixed dining room/living room set up. The warm glow of a fireplace crackled to life nearby, with Toriel sitting in a large plush chair beside it. A pair of reading glasses on her snout and an unidentifiable book in her paws. Merle started to feel that warmth soak into her bones… this all felt so familiar.

"Um…" She rubbed at her neck. "Ms. Toriel?"

"Oh! Is everything alright?" The motherly goat monster looked up from her reading. Merle shifted nervously on her toes. Why was this suddenly so weird?

"Is there… um… a bathroom where I could wash up? It's… been awhile since I had a chance to take a bath." Oh god, her face was a bright pink. Toriel gave her a patient smile before closing her book to stand up.

Before she knew it, Toriel had rested a large paw on her shoulder. Giving a stifled chuckle. "Of course, I can show you if you'd like."

"Yeah… yeah that would be nice." Merle muttered along quietly, toying with the cuff of her shirt sleeve. "... thank you."

The bathroom across the hall from the room Frisk was in, and shared the same warm tones as the rest of the house. Merle stood awkwardly in the corner as Toriel drew a hot bath and telling her where the soaps were, turning to her before leaving the room.

"Would you like me to wash some of your clothes? They look a bit dirty as well."

Merle nodded along stiffly, murmuring another quiet thanks as Toriel stepped outside to give her a bit of privacy. Peeling off her dirtied beanie and clothes and undergarments, she folded them as best as she could and held out the pile with her hand. Toriel gently took the articles of clothing before leaving her be.

So she scrubbed off all the dirt and grime, plus at least one or two layers of skin before cleaning her greasy, ratty hair.

As she washed out the floral smelling suds from her hair, Merle bit the inside of her cheek as she started to replay the previous events in her head. She woke up on a low lying bed of flowers with no broken bones of the sort; met a demonic talking flower that was a definite sociopath; said flower wanted to kill them; they got saved by an actual monster that seemed to be more like a mother than a villain… an unwanted image flashed behind her eyelids and Merle had closed them to sigh. Opening her eyes again with a huff, she ran a hand over her now clean hair.

It didn't mean anything… it's been years after all, and Merle felt incredibly done with her bath. Getting out to drain the tub and rinse out the tub as best as she could. Merle got dressed in her mostly clean set of clothes; a plain cream colored tank top and a pair of light blue capris. The clothes stuck a bit to her damp skin, but she paid it no mind as she used a small fluffy towel to dry her hair out a bit more before stepping out of the bathroom.

Pursing her lips, she quietly walked back into the living room to see Toriel. She was going to be polite and thank the kind goat lady. It… just felt like it was the right thing to do. But she wasn't there… and out of curiousity Merle continued further back past Toriel's large chair and into what she could only guess was the kitchen. Soft humming reached her ears as she spotted Toriel pouring hot water into two simple tea cups.

"I… um… thank you." Merle cleared her throat awkwardly, causing Toriel to look back at her standing nervously in the doorway to the kitchen.

"It is no matter, child." Toriel hummed along quietly, setting aside the small kettle in the sink "Would you like something to drink? Tea perhaps?"

"Tea would be nice… thank you." She put on a shy smile, watching Toriel drop a tea bag in both cups..

"It would be best to let it cool for a moment." She spoke, moving around the kitchen. Before setting a both cups on tiny plates. "Would you like any sugar in your tea?"

"No thank you…" Merle replied, accepting the hot cup carefully as she allowed Toriel to move past her before following.

Following Toriel back to the living room, the two decided to sit down at the table. Merle shifting and twitching in her seat. Blowing slightly on her tea, she took a sip of the steaming liquid before her tongue curled in on itself in protest. This burning floral tea was extremely _bitter_ without any sugar and Merle remembered what it was like to actually drink tea again. She used to dump spoonfuls of sugar whenever her mom made it… her mouth twitched around her cup with another forced gulp of the liquid. Swallowing it with a little difficulty before setting the cup down, giving her a bit of time to let her poor scalded tastebuds to recover.

"Are you feeling well, Merle?" It was the first time she heard Toriel use her name, and Merle almost _swallowed_ her tongue. Coughing slightly, she pulled on a smile.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." She was fibbed, her gaze focused on her cup. "It's just been… a bit overwhelming. Ya know?"

"How so?"

"It's just…" Merle sighed heavily. "It's a lot of things… all of this just feels weird."

Her chest hurts, and Merle bites the inside of her cheek to focus her thoughts off that pain. Toriel watches her for a moment longer before letting out a soft sigh. "May I… ask you something…?"

"Um… sure." She muttered, taking a smaller sip of her tea. She thought she would get used to the taste… she didn't. It's still so horribly bitter it's gross.

"I have… noticed those scars on your arms." Merle breathed in, causing a bit of hot tea to go down the wrong tube as she started to cough slightly. "Oh dear! Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…" She forced a laugh, which came out more like a sputtering cough. "I'm fine. I guess I kind of just forgot about those. I just… got into a lot of fights growing up."

 _Lie_.

Toriel frowned, before her gaze turned down to look at her own cup. "I ask this… because you do not seem to be faring well. You… seem to be tired."

Merle had set down her cup, her hand moving under the long robe sleeve to rub at her arms. Pursing her lips into a thin line, she forced a chuckle out. "I'm fine… I was just a bit clumsy as a kid is all. Not much to it other than that."

"I… see." Toriel gently intoned. But seemingly dropping the subject after that. Merle slumped back against her chair, cupping the tea cup in both of her hands. Slurping down what was left of the steeped mixture. Toriel had soon finished her's as well, quietly excusing herself as she took the cups back to the kitchen. Sitting in that now chilling silence, the warmth from her earlier bath and the tea was starting to subside after a long moment of stillness. As the feeling dissipated Merle had let out a soft yawn. She was… tired still, wasn't she? Yeah… yeah she was, no sleep right?

Toriel had looked back at her as she had let out the soft sound, the goat monster being about to sit down by the fire. "You may want to go take a nap, the pie isn't done cooling yet."

"Nmmm." Merle yawned again, slowly getting up with a nod. "Right… right… okay."

"Silly child… Good night." Toriel chuckled softly, and Merle waved a tired goodbye before staggering in a more zombie-like manner back towards the room Frisk was in. The lights in the room were off, but the light from the hallway illuminated the bed where Frisk was currently passed out. Being slightly mindful of where any obstacle might be as Merle closed the door behind her. Frisk stirred at the small amount of noise, rolling over to be closer to the wall as Merle flopped onto the empty space of the bed with a sleepy yawn.

"Night Frisk... " She paused long enough to turn onto her side. "Sweet dreams…"

Her baby sibling hummed in their sleep, rolling back to throw a sweater covered arm under Merle's arm to form some kind of lose hug. Smiling faintly, Merle draped her arm over Frisk's shoulders with another yawn. Her exhaustion finally getting to Merle as her body lulled her into a light sleep after laying there for a few short minutes.

 _Fuzzy, blinking images flared up across her vision. Uneven, panicked breaths rasped in her ears as if it came from another source. Shaking, gray powdered hands were held before her eyes. A sharp wheeze of panic rushed through her. A deathly familiar object lay cast off to the side, coated with the same dusty substance._

 _Oh god… what did she do?_ _ **What did she do**_ _?! It felt like it was to difficult to breath, oh god… no…_ _ **no**_ …

 _I'm sorry… I'm sorry! I'm… so… so.. sorry._

Merle was pulled awake at the sound of Frisk letting out a shaky sob, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dark until she was able to see Frisk writhing in something she could almost describe as sleep induced terror. A sudden feeling of panic lurched over her drowsy mind as Merle shot up with haste. Frisk twisted under the blankets as a strangled noise of anguish made it past their lips.

"'M sorry…. 'M sorry…!"

"Frisk! Hey…" Merle whispered softly, resting a hand on their shoulders with a gentle pressure. She then had forgone the minimal amount of contact to scoop up her sibling into her arms. Murmuring shushing sound in their ear, Merle rubbed their back as they spiraled down into a trembling mess. "It's okay… it's okay… it's just a nightmare. It was just a nightmare."

"'M sorry… so so sorry…" They sobbed into her shirt, small hands gripping the cream fabric in a death grip. "Sorry, sorry…. So sorry…"

Her chest stung as Merle felt her face twist into a pained grimace. Biting into her lower lip as she rubbed small circles on Frisk's back, she wrapped her other arm around them in a hug. "It's okay… you have nothing to be sorry for… you've done nothing wrong."

Frisk's reaction to her comforting words isn't exactly positive. Their sobbing only grows louder after Merle spoke and was now clinging to Merle's chest feverishly. She pursed her lips into a line thin as she just wordlessly ran her hand over their ratty bed head. Merle… didn't really know what to do. Frisk had never woken up like this before, they never had a truly _bad_ nightmare because she tried to shield them from it as much as possible.

Her own dream lay forgotten at this point, now her attention aimed at only one thing. Getting frisk calm again… which wasn't turning out to be as easy as she hoped. "Frisk… it's okay… just breath. Okay? In, and out… in and out. Can you do that for me?"

Her sibling gave a shaky nod as their shoulders shock with a slowly drawn breath. Merle listened as Frisk's intakes slowed down from their sporadic pattern to match her more evened out pace as she let her chest rise and fall in time with her breaths more visibly. Letting out a soft sniffle, Frisk peeled away slightly to rub at their eyes with a tear stained frown on their lips. Their tiny, strained voice echoing out in a soft whimper.

"I wanna go home…"

Merle felt her heart clench painfully as she pulled Frisk into a tight hug. "I'll get you home, squirt…"

Frisk's hands released her shirt to move their arms around Merle's neck. "You promise?"

"I…" Merle felt her mouth go dry, biting into her cheek. A hidden twinge of self deprivation tugging at her core. She… didn't want to go home. Wasn't it the reason she was here in the first place? But… so was Frisk. They were never meant to be here _with_ her. So Merle did the one thing that twisted her heart into a painful knot. "I promise."

Frisk buried their face into Merle's shoulder, their light whimpering catching on her ear like a throned branch against the skin. The sound of it made Merle feel like she was completely hopeless to help… like some cold seed had taken root in her veins and refused to let go. She didn't know what to do, or what she could do.

This feeling of loss reminded her of something she didn't _want_ to remember. It formed a knot in her stomach as she sat there in silence, tracing circles on Frisk's sweater with her thumb. A soft hum echoed in her throat as she tried to speak up again. "Hey… I might not be magic, but I've got a couple of _twix_ up my sleeves."

Frisk let out a soft snort before covering it with a groan, their nose pressing flat against her collarbone as Merle let out a soft chuckle. "What? It's _knot_ like I can't _taco_ 'bout it."

"Siiiis." Frisk giggled, pushing away from Merle as she fought back a grin.

"Hey, it's a good distraction. You are going going a _tier_." She laughed as Frisk let out a frustrated sound and tried to cover her mouth with their hands. "I _donut_ why you're so against this corny puns! I find them to be pretty _amaizing_."

Her laughter grew as tiny hands pawed furiously at her face. "Stooooop! Those puns are so _cheesy_ and bad!"

"Nope," she winked, a wide grin spreading across her lips. "They aren't bad… they're _guada_ \- oof!"

She did not expect Frisk to throw a stuffed animal at her, and Merle feel backwards as the plush toy smacked against her nose. It made her laugh even more as Frisk hopped off the bed, and Merle rolled onto her side to see Frisk hold up a plate. A large butterscotch cinnamon pie occupied the dish with two forks framing it on either side.

"Well that smells good at least." She quipped, sliding her legs off the bed as Frisk set the plate on her lap to crawl back onto the bed. They both picked up a fork and clinked them together in a ceremonious before digging in.

Which was absolutely freaking _delicious_. The filling reminded her of pumpkin pie filling, but instead of pumpkin favor it was this heavenly thick set butterscotch pudding with a added touch of cinnamon to tie it all together. A warm, soothing pulse spread through her body from her heart. Making Merle smile as she had another forkful. She ended up letting Frisk the crust of the pie when it was close to being finished. The puppy eyes were almost too hard to handle… and she didn't really eat the pie crusts anyways so it was a win-win. Ruffling her sibling's hair as Frisk chewed on the end crust adorably, she got up off the bed to turn on the lights. Frisk let out a startled whine as the sudden change in lighting, Merle herself found herself wincing at the bright lights and shielded her eyes until they became more accustomed to it.

"Sorry squirt." She apologized, but it seemed Frisk was ignoring her as they polished off the crust. Merle crouched down to pick up a folded pile of clean clothes from the floor, noticing the distinct plate shaped impression left on the top and smiled faintly. She would have to thank Toriel as soon as she could.

She… she had been awfully sweet and caring to them, hasn't she? Merle… hadn't exactly been accustomed to the parental affection in a long time. It was actually kind of nice. Almost everything about this place was nice. The monsters that inhabited the Ruins, the soothing atmosphere of it all… and Toriel. Over the course of an entire day Merle had grown attached to this charming location. Merle felt her cheeks turn a shade of pink at the thought of even _wanting_ to stay here.

Pulling on her jacket, she stuffed the other clothes into her bag before digging out her brush from the front compartment. She blinked in confusion to see a long, faded red ribbon tied in a bow around the handle. Where did that come from? She didn't pick it up… so maybe Frisk found it?

"Hey, kiddo." She chirped, falling back onto the bed as she stood back up. Frisk turned their body towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Did ya find this?"  
She dangles the brush in the air, causing the ribbon to sway from side while Frisk nodded enthusiastically. Merle gave off a slight hum before turning on the bed to sit cross legged on the warm comforter. Patting her lap, she let Frisk climb onto her legs to sit down while she untied the ribbon from the handle. Setting it off to the side, Merle started to brush out Frisk ratty bedhead. Which wasn't exactly an easy task as her younger sibling seemed to have the most untameable hair known to man. The least she could do was at least make it look a bit better…

Frisk squirmed in her lap impatiently and gave the occasional soft whine as she brushed out knots and tangled strands of hair. So slowly but surely, the rat's nest of dark brown hair slowly turned into a somewhat more representable mess of shoulder length hair. Setting the brush aside by the ribbon, Merle patted Frisk's back as they clambered off her lap. She then pressed out her hair, wincing as some knots were tugged loose, smoothing out as she sent a brush through it. Dammit… she probably should have brushed it last night. It was last night, right? She… wasn't exactly sure how long they had sleep for. It was almost impossible to know for sure the time down...

Underground…

Merle had paused halfway through brushing her hair, the teeth of the brush snagging against a knot of hair as she suddenly as her hand suddenly jerked down. She let out a soft hiss through her teeth as she ran a hand over her hair.

 _Fuck._ They were trapped Underground. Surrounded by monsters that she would have thought never existed while she had been on the surface. A _fucking flower_ had already tried to kill them…

Would… would anyone on the surface realise they were gone? Their… their aunt might… but she might not even report anything. It would be like her… but- there would people looking for them right? Her boss would suspect something was up and would call the cops. But would they even bother to look? Would they just stop at the base of the mountain and just… put them under the list of people who had disappeared? Was that what they were now to them, two names of people never to be found just like the rest?

Her chest hurt.

 _I wanna go home._

No, there is no _fucking_ way that Merle was going to let that happen. Frisk was getting out of here no matter what. Merle slipped off the bed, ignoring the confused look her sibling was giving her as she stuffed the brush back into her bag. She had to get Frisk back to the surface… without her or not.

A dull glint of clipped silver caught her eye, the toy knife she found glinting in the warm light overhead. Merle stared at the plastic object with a tense stare. Her fingers twitched over the handle as a thick coil of dread twisted in her gut, making her feel nauseous. Curling her fingers around it, she pulled it from the bag to turn it over.

Her vision blinked out, the fuzzy image from her own nightmare returning as she turned the knife over in her hand.

Frisk had jumped when sharpened toy skittered across the floor, sliding under to hide in the shadowy gap under the wardrobe. Merle felt her blood turn to ice as she watched it disappear, shoulders raised and tense. She felt… so much _guilt_ that rolled over her in waves, and it felt almost suffocating under that feeling of dread.

"Sis…?" Frisk's tiny voice cut through the air, causing Merle to jump. Glancing back at her sibling Merle felt a choking bubble clog up her throat. Clearing her airway twice, she put on a smile as she settled to sit back down on the bed. _Play it off… don't worry them._

"Hey, sorry 'bout that." She hummed weakly, inwardly flinching at the squeak in her voice. "It pricked my finger."

Frisk looked at her with a slight frown before shuffling around on the bed. Coming back into view with the faded ribbon clutching in their tiny hands. A small, anxious string of mumbles leaving them as Merle looked back at them in dull curiosity. Frisk motioned for her to move closer, and Merle leaned her body down as she watched Frisk stand up on the mattress. They moved her hair around, toying with it at first before wrapping the ribbon around her hair. Not much use in the way of keeping her bangs out of her eyes or tie her long hair back, just as a simple accessory as Frisk tied it in a lopsided bow. Merle hummed lightly before leaned down further to press a light kiss to Frisk's forehead.

"Ewwww." Her younger sibling squirmed and let out a soft whine, shooing Merle away with a wide grin and a quiet giggle. Merle echoed that giggle with a small laugh as she watched Frisk hop off the bed.

"Aw come on Frisk- you love me!" She grinned standing up to straighten up the sheets and blankets on the bed. Frisk had turned awkwardly, hopping around on one foot as they were putting on their rain boots, and blew a raspberry at her. Merle scrunched up her nose playfully, sticking out her tongue at them before letting out another soft laugh. She had missed this… messing around with her sibling, the laughter… it felt nice.

Patting down the blanket on the now made bed, Merle stepped back to take in her handy work with a grin. Being oddly pleased with herself, she turned back to look at Frisk to see them cracking open a small chest on the opposite side of the room. Letting out a small hum, Merle crossed over to take a look. It was probably more toys, seeing as how there were stuffed animals towards the end of the bed. "Find anything- interesting…"  
She felt her voice died out as she leaned down to look inside. Shoes… there were a ton of _kids_ _shoes_. Many of which weren't even the same size. Merle felt a knot coil in her stomach as she watched Frisk pick up a sneaker and a plain sandal. They were clearly different in size, and Merle let out a sound of distress. Frisk dropped them both when Merle took their hand and pulled them away from the chest ignoring the questioning shout as she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder.

Dammit, she should have known better! Anger and a sting of betrayal gripped her heart like a vice as she dragged Frisk out of the bedroom. They had to leave, and they had to leave _now_.

"Sis!" Frisk snapped, yanking their hand from Merle's grasp so suddenly that she spun around with a glare aimed at her sibling.

"Frisk, what the hell?!" She hissed, her arm waving outwards back towards the door they came out of. "Did you not understand what all that was?!"

"Do YOU!" They snap back, tears welling up in their eyes. Merle tensed up as her eyebrows furrowed. She… she understood what she saw. She did… right? Yeah, yeah she did. A feeling of frustration and annoyance rushed over that earlier anger as she pinched the bridge of her nose. A harsh sigh making it past her lips as she crouched down to Frisk's level. "Frisk, I can't tell where your thinking but I can think too. And right now… right now I don't think it's safe to be here."

"... you don't get it." They grumbled stubbornly, causing Merle's face to scrunch up.

"Then help me get it then, Frisk." She snapped a bit impatiently with a frown. She waited for a reply but got none from her younger sibling. Letting out a heavy sigh she pushed off her knees to stand back up. "Then we're leaving."

Frisk's cheeks puffed out in frustration, a look Merle forced herself it ignore as she readjusted the grip on her bag and bit into the side of her cheek. They needed to leave, they _had_ to leave. It was _dangerous_ … it was dangerous…

She needed to get Frisk out of here. Merle had to get them above ground… end of story. But… was she going to have to fight to get out? That thought made her heart shudder as there was the slightest hint of hesitance in her next step as she crossed the foyer towards the living room area. Merle didn't want to think about the thought. She did her best to ignore it.

"Toriel?" She called out, taking a sharp step into the living room. Merle gave Frisk an uneasy look as her sibling ran past her to the goat monster's side, earning a small laugh from the motherly goat.

"Up already, I see?" She allowed Frisk to climb up into her lap, Merle bristled in her boots as she watched her sibling nestle themselves in the cage of Toriel's arms as they looked away from her and directed at the book the large monster was reading. Effectively ignoring Merle at the moment. Toriel glanced up at her with a look of concern and hesitation. "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug hunting spot. I've even prepared a curriculum for Frisk's education."

Merle hummed, shoving her free hand in her pocket. Glaring at her sibling as Toriel continued babbling on. "This may come as a surprise to you… but I've always wanted to be a teacher… actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. _Still_. I'm glad to have you two living here."

"Toriel…" Merle breathed, a hollow pit starting to form in her stomach. Toriel gave a nervous hum.

"Oh, did you want something? What is it?"

"..." Merle glanced down at Frisk, who was now giving her two large puppy eyes with a small shake of their head. Biting into her lower lip, she felt her stomach churn in an almost painful motion. "When can we go home."

It wasn't a question, and it probably wouldn't apply to both of them. Frisk's face contorted into a pained expression as they scooted further into Toriel's lap. The small action only made Merle's fist clench inside her jacket pockets. The goat monster made a small sound of something close to fear, but tried to cover it up with a small sheepish laugh. "What? This.. this _is_ your home now. Um… would you like to hear about this book I'm reading? It is called _72 Uses for Snails_. How about it?"

"Yeah!"

"How do we exit the Ruins?"

Both Frisk and Merle gave answers, both being so completely different that Toriel paused for a moment. If it was visible, the goat monster was probably sweating right now. Letting out another nervous laugh. "Um… how about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails… sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature? Interesting."

"Mhmm." Frisk hummed, while Merle felt her teeth click together in frustration.

"Toriel… how do we leave the Ruins."

The anxious smile disappeared from Toriel's face as she closed the book in her paws with a snap, setting it aside with her glasses soon to be folded up on top of the worn cover as Frisk was set gently onto the ground. "... I have to do something. Stay here."

Like hell that was going to happen, Merle frowned as she watched Toriel move past her at an alarming pace with Merle racing after her to catch up. She didn't like where this was going at all, not after catching the some drop of life in Toriel's voice. No… no, she wasn't going to let her go whatever she had planned. Not when it might stop her from getting Frisk out.

She caught sight of Toriel disappear down the flight of stairs, the stairs that she remembered seeing earlier. Had that been their way out this entire time? "Come on Frisk!"

She could hear the rapid stomping of Frisk's rain boots on the floor as she hopped off the banister onto the short level before taking off down the stairs. The familiar purple hue of the ruins returned coated in a dark shadow, the backpack bouncing against her shoulder as Merle jumped off the last step to take off in a run towards Toriel. The goat monster having stopped shortly away from where the dark hallway stopped.

Merle skidded to a halt, glancing back to see Frisk running down the stairs and almost ran into her legs had she not stuck out an arm to stop them. Toriel's voice cutting over them with a dead chill. "You wish to know how to return "home" do you not?"

Merle had looked up at Toriel only to freeze at the glint of red in what she had grown use to seeing as warm motherly eyes. Her arm locked protectively around Frisk as a reflex even after Toriel had turned back around.

"Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground." Wait… there was more to this? It wasn't just the Ruins? "I am going to destroy it."

"What?!" She yelled, flinching back when Toriel's eye snapped back to her.

"No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be good children and go upstairs." She stormed forward, leaving Merle and Frisk behind to make up their minds. Her younger sibling had wormed their hand into hers. She gripped it tight it her fingers before relaxing her grip.

Gulping down a breath of the grainy air, Merle felt her lungs wither up in fright as she gathered herself before moving. Frisk trotting along by her side, both of them starting to get a bit worried about the looming walls as they were closing in on them as a pair of jaws. Merle felt something bitter rise up in her throat. All of this felt way to familiar, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Again they caught up with Toriel. The tall monster's shoulders trembling as her angered voice trembled. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. _They die_. You naive children… if you leave the Ruins… They… _Asgore_ … will kill you."  
Merle felt her blood run cold, and her hold on Frisk had tightened significantly. This warning… it felt to familiar… way to familiar… "I am only protecting you, do you understand? … go to your room."

 _Baby, go back to your room okay?_

That only made her stand a bit taller, teeth clenching as she and Frisk followed after Toriel once more. Who seemed more and more frustrated that they seemed more resolved to keep going. "Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning."

"You don't scare me." Merle snapped at Toriel's back as the monster walked away, her brows furrowing into a hard scrunched up line. "And you can't stop us."

"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others" Toriel scoffed harshly, The air between Merle and Frisk and the fuming goat monster starting to take on that heat wave effect. An all too familiar tug starting to pull at her chest.

 _There is only one solution to this..._

"There is only one solution to this." Toriel murmured mournfully. "Prove yourself."

Had… had she done this before?

"Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive!"

The world in her eyes flickered out, fading into darkness as two glowing hearts surfaced.

 _Toriel blocks the way._


	5. Heartache

**And we are back to your regular scheduled program that is extremely short because the writer can't write fight scenes to save her life. Also it seems a bit rushed but... eh.**

* * *

This was bad… really bad. Merle felt her younger sibling squeeze her fingers, and when she took a quick glance at her sibling to see them clutching their stick like it was a lifeline with the most frightened look on their face. Her eyes flicked back up to Toriel as she most her tongue seemingly become heavy in her mouth.

"Toriel…" She tried to speak, to tell her that they didn't have to fight… but the words wouldn't come to her. A cord of panic struck within her chest and made it feel difficult to breath with the rising heat. "Toriel… please... we…. We…"

Her chest constricted painfully as Frisk had forcibly pulled her forward. In the sudden shift in position caught her off guard, and Merle's feet twisted around each other and she had fallen flat on her knees and palm. The air around her burned white hot, and in her jacket it felt scorching.

They were going to die, Merle thought as a hollow pit bore into her gut as her grip on Frisk's hand had vanished and she clawed outwards in a blind panic. Frisk. Where was Frisk? Why did it feel like her heart was racing in her throat? "F-frisk!"

She choked out the words, feeling a thick bead of sweat run down the side of her brow as she desperately clawed her way up to an uneasy footing on her feet. She flinched as a wave of white flames fanned out across the room. Her arms had instinctively risen to cover her face as those flames flew outwards. Those attacks had missed her, giving Merle enough time to spot Frisk dancing the volley of flames with practice. Merle didn't have time to think about how they were doing it she just needed them- needed them to…

Her hand clawed at her chest as a raspy wheeze of air left her lungs, seemingly taking what was left of the breath within with it. Her back lite up with an excruciating pain causing white spots to flicker across her vision like embers. Any words that might have left her came out in a clogged gasp as she stumbled forward.

Why was Toriel fighting to keep them here? All Frisk wanted was to go _home_ … and Merle just wanted to get them to safety.

The rain of fire that came next suddenly parted around her as tiny hands pushed against her shoulder, forcing her to stand upright. When she glanced down she could see Frisk wearing a concerned expression. Even with the stung back, Merle gave them a comforting smile as she ran a hand over their messy hair before pulling them close to her protectively as she turned to Toriel. Her hardened look had… changed, and the large goat monster had looked away from them.

Did she… not really want them to get hurt? Merle felt her eyebrows furrow together as Frisk clung to her jeans. "Toriel… we can't- we _won't_ fight you."

Frisk gently tugged her back as another rush of flames spread out towards them. Merle's grip on Frisk's shoulder had tightened as her eyes squeezed shut. But again those flames had also flown right past them like it had before.

"What are you doing?" Toriel hissed almost painfully, a dangerously edge crawling it's way back to her eyes. "Attack or run away!"  
" _NO!_ " Merle yelled back, standing rigid as two rivers of flame ran past them. Her throat felt dry and the temperature was suffocating but she stayed strong. She had to _be_ strong.

"...What are you proving this way?" Toriel asked, a cracking waiver in her voice. A faint rush of hesitation almost too hard to ignore. "Fight me or leave!"

Merle couldn't do it, even if she wanted to. For multiple reasons… but somewhere in her chest a painful twist coiled around her heart at the thought of _if_ she had the ability to do it. That painful twist brought on a thick blur to her vision as Merle took a thick drag of air through her nose. No… no she can't, she couldn't do that now.

"Toriel." She croaked out, tears rolling from her eyes to evaporate off her cheeks from the surge of fire. "We don't want to fight you."

 _I don't want to hurt you._

"Stop it. Stop looking at me that way." Toriel snapped weakly, the flames the goat monster was throwing all over the place casting a orange glow on the streams of tears running down her face. " _Go away!"_

Merle flinched away as a rush of heat blasted against her face, fingers curling into the collar of Frisk's sweater in a death grip, her teeth gritting together as she felt the edges of her jacket cuff start to curl with the heat. But they didn't move, they didn't run away… but Merle and Frisk stood firm in their spot with each wall of flames.

Toriel's face had turned and twisted into one of aloof sadness, the red-brown of her eyes glazed over and distant as if she was seeing someone else in their place. Her large hands trembled and with a sputter the flames and the suffocating heat dissolved into nothing. Merle felt a breath of dry air her sweat lined face, giving her the feeling of needing to wipe off her brow.

"I know you want to go home, but… But please, go upstairs now." Toriel pleaded softly, a melancholic smile pulling at her face. Merle had felt her soul sink back into her chest, but allowed Frisk to gently pull her forward. Toriel seemed too far gone into her own rambling to notice them moving. "I promise I will take care of you here. I know we do not have much, but… We can have a good life here."

Both of them had stopped in front of the towering goat monster as Toriel had let out a thick sobbing sound. Her eyes now tearfully focused down at them. "Why are you making this so difficult…? Please, go upstairs."

When Merle and Frisk made no attempt to move, Toriel gave them another tearful smile that made Merle feel a familiar twinge of pained regret in her heart. A hollow, empty laugh echoed off the purple brick tiles. "Ha ha… Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child."

" _Why do they always die…" She listened to the heart wrenching sob reverberating from the other side of the door, staying hidden from her crying mother who sat at the dining room table. Her nails digging into the wood trim of the kitchen door. Listening to the quiet weeping of her sister and the even quieter reassuring murmurs of her father._

 _She felt… hallow._

Merle slowly took hold of Toriel's hand, or at least a finger, and attempted to snap the large monster out of her self imposed self-deprivation. Toriel had looked at Merle who gave the motherly-monster a kind smile.

Slowly, Toriel took in a deep and even breath. Using a clawed thumb to wipe away the tears from her eyes before weakly mirroring Merle's smile. "No. I understand. You both would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for your or Frisk to grow up in a place like this. My expectations… my loneliness… my fear… for you, my children… I will put them aside."

The dulled out background faded back into the vibrant purple bricks pillars as Merle took a brief moment to wipe off her brow. Her shoulders still felt as though they were on fire, but that pain seemed to lessen with every other moment. Right now, with Frisk latched onto her leg and her hand clasped around Toriel's finger, Merle felt an odd sense of happiness bubble up in her chest. Like an unseen weight had been lifted from her chest… and it didn't hurt as much now.

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you." Toriel addressed, suddenly regaining a posture and tone someone of royalty would have as the goat monster stood and turned her back to them. Merle watched with a bit of awe as she watched Toriel motion with a flick of her wrist and the lick of flames floating off the pristine white fur towards the door. "However, when you leave… Please do not come back. I… Hope you understand."

Merle opened her mouth to reply, to speak up against why they should come back. Toriel… Toriel reminded her of someone very close to her. She- Merle couldn't let that go again. But as the first syllable left her lips, Toriel had turned back around and pulled both of them into a tight embrace. Frisk, now resting on her arm, wrapped their arms around her fluffy neck in a small whimper about how they didn't want to go… and Merle inwardly echoed that sentiment. Merle herself found that the few tears that hadn't evaporated in the fight start to fight their way back up with a vengeance as her fists balled up the fabric of Toriel's robe, trying to hold on for dear life. Salty tears dropped onto the soft lilac cloth as her stinging shoulders trembled.

She didn't want to let go.

She didn't want to accept the fact that her heart so desperately wanted her to acknowledge.

She can't.

Her chest hurt.

The hug was over far too soon with Toriel gently setting Frisk back on the ground, the motherly goat brushing aside some of Frisk's hair before pressing a light kiss to their forehead then mimicking the same motions with Merle. She felt like a child losing something and would never get it back. Hiccuping softly as Toriel brushed aside the already drying tears with a gentle brush of her paw. Before giving them one final warm smile as she stood back up again.

"Goodbye, my children."

She followed Toriel with her eyes as the motherly goat started back down the way they came, a thick bubble forming up in her throat as she watched Toriel retreat back into the Ruins.

 _Say something… come on!_ _ **SAY SOMETHING**_

"M-Mom, w-wait!" She yelled breathlessly, a visible crack in her voice as her throat burned for water. Toriel had stopped at the sudden voice, turning around to look at Merle with a slightly shocked expression. "I… I lo… I'll miss you."  
Toriel's surprise had softened into a warm smile, giving the tiniest of nods before turned and disappearing back into the Ruins. Merle swayed forward, her legs turning to jelly as she had dropped to her knees. One hand keeping her propped up while the other clutched at her chest.

It hurt…. So much… why did it hurt?

 _Why does saying goodbye always hurt?_

"Clever. Verrrryyy clever." A very familiar and _very_ unwelcome voice scratched against her ears, Merle barely lifted her head to give the demonic weed a dead eyed stare. "In this world, it's killed or be world. So you were able to play by your own rules… you spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee… But don't act so cocky. I know what you did~"

Merle's glassy eyes stare shattered as the white face of Flowey morphed into a disturbingly accurate replica of Toriel, staring up at her with unnaturally wide eyes and a twisted smile. " _You murdered her._ "  
"Wh-what?!" She yelped, the hand keeping her up shaking like a leaf threatening to collapse under her weight. Flowey's sharp gaze turned back to Frisk, who stood rigid at Merle's side.

"And then _you_ went back, because she _regretted it_. _You naive idiot_." He snapped, baring teeth that a plant definitely shouldn't have. "Do you think you are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world… purely by your own determination. The ability to play _God_! The ability to " _Save_ " I thought I was the only one with that power. But… I can't _save_ anymore."

The flower snarled, stem twitching and curling back to give Flowey a hunched appearance as he glared at Frisk. "Apparently _your_ desires for this world override _mine_. Well well. Enjoy that power while you can. _I'll be watching~!_ "

The scowling face expanded out past Flowey's petals like a hellish balloon, turning into a dark grin as a high pitched laughter echoing around the room before he sunk down into the cracks in the ground. Merle waited a whole five seconds before a held breath she had no idea that she had been holding escaped her.

What was that thing talking about? She… she didn't kill Toriel. She couldn't have… no no no no… her thoughts went back to the dream she had. No! That didn't happen, it was a dream. It was a _dream_ … right? And what else was he talking about.? Saving? Like… as in a video game? The idea sounded absolutely insane.

Her chest hurt.

"Big sis…?" Small hands pressed against her shoulders, and Merle snapped her gaze back to Frisk. They were staring at her with concern, their face scrunched up and frowning. "You okay…?"

"...Frisk. What in the bloody hell was that all about?" She wheezed, feeling very uncomfortable about where they were now and that it felt like there were _eyes_ on them. Shaking her head nervously, she pushed her way stubbornly back to her feet, and drew in another ragged breath. Frisk fidgeted nervously, never really looking up to meet her gaze.

"I dunno." They mumbled softly, but Merle got the feeling that they _did_ know… she just couldn't force them to tell her…

Letting out a heavy sigh, she offered them her hand once she was on even footing. "Come on… let's get going."

Frisk gave a small nod before taking hold of her hand. And Merle held a grimace on her face as they both stepped up to the door. Giving it one heavy push, the stone door shifted forward to greet Merle and Frisk with a blast of cold, _cold_ air along with several thick fluffy flakes of snow.

Snow… in August, you know what? Merle has decided to try and not be as surprised from here on out. All of this shit was insane make believe stuff she would have only imagined in a child's dream. But here it all was, real and plain as day.

"Welp… it's not like this can't get any worse. Right?" She asks rhetorically, earning a small giggle from Frisk. Closing her eyes briefly for a moment to gather her thoughts, she opened them wide again to push open the heavy stone slab out further before the both stepped out into the snow….


End file.
